Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It might be a cliche piece of advice, but this old adage is actually one of the most important rules of weight loss. But how is eating more a key to losing weight? The answer is very simple: metabolism.
While it is true that many individuals have a naturally slow or fast metabolism, everyone’s basic metabolic rates varies depending on the amount food a person consumes. If one does not consume enough calories or nutrients, they may feel as if they are starving. The person’s brain will feel this as well, and slow that person’s metabolism in order to compensate for the lack of caloric intake. By skipping breakfast, you are sending your brain a message that says “slow things down, we’re in starvation mode.”
Obviously, a healthy breakfast is essential to weight loss and overall nutrition. These five foods offer big nutrition for a small number of calories so you can make your most important meal count.
Egg whites: A single egg has 90 calories and 7 grams of fat. Get rid of the yolk, and your egg only has 17 calories and 0.06 grams of fat! It is small changes like this that can make or break a weight loss plan. Try an egg white omelet with fresh veggies inside to give the whites some yummy flavor.
Fruit smoothie: All fruit offers the body an amazing amount of nutrients for a slim amount of calories. Blend up your favorite kind with ice and fruit juice to start the day off right. Another benefit of making a smoothie (as opposed to simply eating fruit) is that you can drink more than you can eat, so you can get more vitamins.
Apple with peanut butter: Apples themselves are a power food, offering vitamin A, vitamin C, niacin, folic acid, and more for only about 70 calories. Not only does spreading peanut butter on it taste delicious, but it also adds heart healthy mono-saturated fats and protein, which helps keep you feeling full.
Oatmeal: Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfasts, because it offers a lot of bang for the buck. One serving will have between 150 and 200 calories depending on the brand, but it is full of fiber, protein, and iron, all of which will keep you feeling satisfied until lunch time.
Cereal with almond milk: Cereal is a great quick-fix for busy people who may not have the time to prepare a balanced meal early in the morning. If you are watching your weight, stick with a fortified cereal that is low in sugar (such as Rice Krispies or Special K). These cereals offer a variety of vitamins and minerals in each bite. Switching from your typical milk to almond milk will also save you calories. One cup of almond milk has only 40 calories- with the same calcium as regular cow’s milk!